After losing the 4th of July game for their first league loss of the season the Pirates were looking to rebound against the Bluffton Braves last Friday night at Krueger Field. It was not meant to be as the Pirates bats remained dormant as they started the weekend with a 4-3 loss to Bluffton in 11 innings.
Perham managed just six hits in the game, five off Braves starter Kyle Dykoff and only one off reliever Dustin Geiser.
The Pirates continued their habit of giving up runs in the first inning as the Braves managed to push two runners across. A Pirate error allowed the first runner to score and Mark Sweere hit a double to score the second Braves run.
Perham cut the score to 2-1 in the fourth as a Matt Olson sac fly scored Jon Kotaska. They tied the game in the fifth on a Braves error, allowing Matt Richter to score on a ground ball by Noah Johnson.
Bluffton went up 3-2 in the seventh as Kurt Mursu lead off with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice and scored on a single by Matt Sweere.
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The Pirates tied the game in the eighth starting with back-to-back singles by Mike Winjum and Kotaska with 1 out. After a strikeout, Peyton Burkman grounded to first and the toss to the pitcher covering the base was off the mark, allowing Winjum to score the Pirates third run.
In the 11th inning, Geiser led-off with a single off of Olson, who relieved Perham starter Kotaska. Kurt Mursu singled with one out, moving Geiser to second. A walk to Jake Seelhammer loaded the bases and a walk to Matt Sweere scored Geiser with the go ahead run.
Mark and Matt Sweere were the hitting hero's for the Braves, combining for seven hits and three RBI. Geiser picked up the win with 3 2/3 innings of relief of Dykoff for the Braves.
Back on track
The Pirates got their offense back on track as they collected 15 hits in a 15-4 win over New York Mills in eight innings.
The offense didn't take long to get hot as they scored three times in the top of the first. Phil Kirchner walked and scored on a double by Winjum. After a single by Olson, Chris Enberg connected on a two-run double to give Perham a 3-0 lead.
The Millers also went right to work in the bottom of the first as Jeremy Weller and Brent Weller singled to start the inning. With one out, Trent Ament hit a three-run homer to left to tie the game.
Perham scored another run in the second on an RBI groundout by Kirchner, scoring Richter.
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The Pirates began to open the gap in the fourth. Richter reached on an error with one out and Nick Esala followed with a single before Noah Johnson connected on a three-run homer to left. Kirchner then followed with a walk and scored on a two-run homer by Winjum, giving Perham a 9-3 lead.
In the top of the sixth inning Esala reached on an error, setting the table for Johnson's second homer of the game.
The Millers cut the lead to 11-4 in the bottom of the sixth as Ament started the inning with a single and scored on a two-out single by Drew Schultz.
Perham put the game out of reach in the top of the eighth, starting with a solo shot by Esala. Johnson and Kirchner then walked and Winjum singled in Johnson. Kirchner scored on a fielders choice off the bat of Matt Lill and Peyton Burkman rounded out the Perham scoring with an RBI single, scoring Mark Jorgenson, who pinch ran for Winjum.
The Pirates (18-6, 13-2 HI-10) will complete their league schedule on Friday night at Fergus Falls. They will finish off their regular season with a doubleheader against Enderlin (ND) on Saturday at Krueger Field starting at 2 p.m.
